Need You Now
by TFRiD Queen
Summary: Adam and Sio now must make one of the biggest decisions of their life: but, can they come to an agreement about spending the rest of their lives together?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: An AU where there are no e-gene holders or EIOs, just our platoon as regular humans. Loosely themed around the song "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum.**

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><p>"Uh, Sio-chan—whoa, watch it!" The blonde had barely taken off her shoes before the photo album came hurtling her way, missing by a literal hair. "Jesus Christ, I know you're upset, but I'd rather appreciate it if you didn't bloody kill me in the process as well!"<p>

Actually, upset was more of an understatement, one might say. Jess only had to look at the state of the apartment—photos all over the floor, some torn some not, mixed in with random piles of clothing and what appeared to be the remains of a picture frame that used to hang next to the door—to know that tonight, her job was going to be a massive undertaking that she would wish on nobody. Except maybe her boyfriend, but she knew for a fact that Mahesh was currently having his hands equally full with the other, crucial half of this messy equation.

"…Sorry. I, uh, didn't…hear you come in." The petite brunette sounded sounded sorry, though she didn't look it. Her hair was limp and the bags under her eyes suggested she hadn't slept in days. Which was probably true, given the dullness in her usually cheerful voice.

As much as she hadn't liked being nearly decapitated with a scrapbook, the older woman couldn't help but regard her younger friend with pity. "Oh dear, Sio-chan…" Picking her way through the minefield of debris, she gently retrieved the thrown album and set it back onto the coffee table, though half its contents were now scattered who-knows-where. "…You're going to need this for the wedding, remember?"

"Hah—at this point, who can even say…" Sighing, Sio just dropped herself onto the couch, not caring in the least about the disastrous state of their apartment. Theirs. Or formally theirs. She wasn't even sure who technically owned it now; certainly, neither of its occupants had co-habited together for past two weeks running.

"…You're not…you, didn't…" The blonde breathed in hushed tones, but one look at her friend's hand—"you…don't tell me you actually…_called it off?!_"

It was an uncomfortable staring match, and for a second Sio wondered just what Jess' reaction would be if she said yes. "…No; but I'd be lying if I said I'm not seriously considering it…" The invitations had already been mailed out weeks ago, and just canceling everything less than a month out…groaning, she rubbed her temples and laid her head on inviting shoulders. "I just…I don't know; I don't know what to do."

"Well, if you didn't call off the engagement, then what happened to your ring?" The girl only gave a single grunt before waving her hand in the general direction of what used to be the hallway.

"'S probably somewhere in there…can't remember exactly where I threw it…"

"In there…" Her friend's voice trailed off as her gaze finally took in the apartment's state in its entirety. The floor was littered with a combination of the couple's mail and torn photographs, the formerly smooth hardwood floors now scratched with smashed plates and unswept glass. And that wasn't even counting the scattered piles of clothing and other miscellaneous belongings, some thrown unceremoniously onto the floor while others still hung off the back of whatever furniture had been in range.

In short, it looked like World War III had just taken place. And knowing the two of them and how stubborn and prideful they could both be… Shaking her head, Jess simply decided to just play the role of morale support for now. She could deal with the hazards of broken glass later, as in preferably when Sio finally decided to pass out. Clicking her tongue, she patted the poor girl's hair, wondering if she should even bother checking in with Mahesh yet.

"So…what happened this time? Or do you just not want to talk about it?"

This time. The most recent. As in, this was definitely not the first incident where some petty little squabble had quickly spun out-of-control into a full-blown screaming match, complete with thrown objects. And as with most of their previous fights, it ended in him storming out in a rage while she buried herself underneath every single comforter she owned and cried herself to sleep.

Except this time, this _time_…her stomach knotted in a cold fear and the sour taste of bile invaded her tongue as a piece of that violent, fleeting memory replayed itself again and again…

_A terrifying crash that normally would have sent her running resounded throughout the apartment as the crystal vase met the kitchen floor in a bang. She'd meant to chuck it at his head instead, but it'd been heavier than she thought and so ended up in a million, tiny pieces on the ground instead._

_'I **hate** you! You're always like this—it doesn't matter how many times I tell you, it won't change will it?!' She'd cried, not even bothering to wipe her tears as she viciously slapped him across the face. 'I don't even know how I stuck it out for so long…'_

_His face was an unreadable mask, though the single emerald was glittering with a cold fire. Sio had known him long enough to know that underneath, he was a simmering pit of rage that was just about to explode if she pushed him far enough. And gods be damned, she didn't care if it tore them apart in the process—she just wanted to hurt, to destroy, to make him regret ever turning his back on her again._

_'…I don't know how many more different ways I can explain it t' you—'_

_'—Stop, just stop! I know, yes, it's not something you can control and yes, it's important to you too—but what, so I guess it's more important than me? More important than the person who's about to become your wife?!' Excuses, reasonings, one after another…she was tired of it. Sick of trying to justify her feelings._

_'I—' For the first time in a long time he looked truly uncertain, caught between two forces of equal strength yet utterly different in every sense of the word._

_She should've known. Had known, going into this and getting herself in deeper and deeper as time went by… "If this is how things are going to be, then I don't know if I'm willing to compromise any longer."_

_'…Then that's it, isn't it?' His voice, rough and unsteady, cut through her thoughts. 'You've got your answer already…'_

_'Wha…'_

_It was like watching a dream, seeing him grab his jacket, slip his phone into the pocket and open the door, all without looking at her once. '…'f you wanna call it off, then go ahead; I don't give a fuck anymore.'_

_And with a final slam he was gone, leaving nothing more than the creaking of the only remaining picture frame before it too, fell onto the floor and like her heart, splintered into countless pieces that could never be put back together again._

That had been nearly two weeks ago. Sio had sworn to herself that enough was finally enough, that no matter how awful or lonely she felt she would not contact him in any way, shape or form. Fucking bastard; he'd left of his own accord, it wasn't like she'd demanded he leave so there was no way in hell she was about to go crawling on her hands and knees, begging for him to come back.

She hadn't predicted just how difficult that task would prove. This was partly the reason she'd finally relented and let Jess come over—and also because her friend hadn't stopped calling her ever since news had travelled (with unsurprising speed) through their little grapevine. Kaoru had already stopped by everyday last week, making sure Sio was still eating and at least getting some measure of rest, but demands as a top consultant meant she had to enlist the help of one Jess Beckham when that meeting in Thailand came a-calling. Even before Jess had left her own flat, Sio made her promise that if she tried to do anything stupid like attempting to call him, then Jess had full authority to do everything she could to stop her.

"…I'm sorry; and I know you're tired of hearing it, but don't blame yourself, Sio. The two of you are very different people—disagreements are, inevitable…"

Not that she hadn't known the sketchy outline before she headed over, but there was nothing like actually hearing it in person. Jess wasn't sure who she felt sorry for more—the Japanese exchange student whom she'd somehow become good friends with, or her hot-headed, (ex?)-fiancé whom she'd known since they were teenagers. There was no right answer, she knew this. And yet to not even try and salvage this relationship that she'd had the honor of seeing from the start…

But a promise was a promise, and she'd sworn on her grandmum's grave that tonight, she would not make any mention of who was right or wrong, and be completely, 100% on Sio's side. And if that meant making sure Sio didn't give into the temptation of calling him, then so be it.

"…I'm so stupid." A sniffle, followed by a sob. "I don't know…wh-why, I keep feeling like this…" She gratefully accepted the tissue that was handed to her and haphazardly wiped her tears, though most of them were staining Jess' suit instead. "I-I, can't…I _can't—!_" In one, illogical misfiring of a neuron, she scrambled to reach for the smartphone that was about to teeter over the edge of the table.

"No—Sio, _don't_." Before Sio could even touch the iPhone Jess had already hauled her out of the way, pocketing the device into her own bag. "You made me promise, remember? That you said you needed to take a break, to really think by yourself? And I completely agree; you need to seriously take a good, hard look at your own feelings and figure out if you really are willing to spend the rest of your life with someone like him." Gently but firmly, she sat the girl back onto the couch. "He'll be fine; hell, I've known that moron since we were in secondary—he can take care of himself. Trust me. You know Mahesh and I won't let anything happen to you two."

Jess was right; no, she must not give in to the weakness of her own feelings. But, the _hurt_—it was the worst she'd ever felt, more than she'd thought possible. "Sorry Jess, you're right…it's just, I-I'm just…I'm so _lonely_; I miss him so much…" Hurt and anger over a fight was one thing, but until he'd really left she'd never noticed just how much of a presence in her life he'd become. Even something as simple as just waking up next to a warm body, the comfort and safety of being wrapped in his arms…she choked back another sob as she curled into the other woman's lap.

"Of course you're going to feel lonely, and sad; you've been together for so long, you can't expect to just cut off those feelings all at once." Her hand was rubbing soothing circles in the girl's back as Sio lay on her side, still hiccuping occasionally.

"…I miss him. A _lot_."

"I know."

"…I really want to hear his voice…" Fingers digging into the cushion's fringe, another tremble making its way throughout her body.

"I know." Another pat, pat, through her hair.

"I-I…_regret_…hurting him…like that…" Hurtling those insults like bullets, one after another—what he'd done wrong, what she wanted him to do right, and how much she hated everything about him…and that wasn't even counting the physical damage she'd wrought. Now that she thought about it, he'd never once laid a hand on her, though she knew, he probably came dangerously close after that last argument.

"Just because you said or did things you regret, doesn't make you a bad person, Sio-chan." The blonde's voice was deeper, taking a more thoughtful tone as she was no doubt recalling all their past incidents as well.

"I-I mean…a-at the time, I was just so _angry_; but when it's all over, I always hate myself, for being such a-a, bitch; no matter how many times this happens…I-I feel like, like…I should be better about this by now; I should be more supportive of him, b-be more…_patient_…" She had to stop because just talking about it made her chest ache, a hole that kept gnawing away at her conscience. "I miss _everything_ about him; I-I don't know why, I…always push him away…"

"Sio, honey, look at me." Swollen maroons glanced up mournfully, as if asking how this could ever get better. "I've known you and Adam for a long, long time now; each of you have your own strengths and flaws, but that doesn't mean either of you should have to give up those parts of yourselves in order to become better people. Just the fact that you feel such…heartache over him, means that he's very important to you, right? After all, you only hurt the ones you love the most…"

She nodded sullenly. What the blonde said had been true of course, but why was it that it always had to come down to something as disastrous as this for her to realize it? In all her years, Sio had never thought it would only take one relationship before she started to seriously consider something as formal as marriage; guys had never shown much interest in her before he came along, and certainly at first, she'd thought of it as nothing more than a 'practice run', a learning period.

Certainly not falling head-over-heels—_hard_—for this gruff, sarcastic British man, who preferred his coffee straight-up black (if tea was unavailable) yet would openly indulge in any opportunity with hot chocolate, with his oddly silver hair and the most beautiful green eyes she'd ever seen on any living being. The rate at which her feelings progressed had been shocking, even frightening—the first time she'd realized just how much he meant to her, she locked herself in her room and buried herself under a mountain of blankets, trying to figure out this mess of emotions that scared her to no end, yet could easily set her heart pounding in a most thrilling way.

"I wonder…what he's doing right now…" It seemed like forever since she'd been calm enough to actually feel sleepy, and not the exhaustion that came from the dying fury of a fight. So much for attempting to separate her thoughts from him—who was she kidding, from the moment he'd slammed the door she couldn't stop thinking about him, what he was doing, what they used to be, and all the memories in between…

A warm coverlet was being pulled over her, Jess murmuring something about getting some rest while she started to pick up this mess. She wanted to tell her to not bother, that half the things would probably just be trashed anyway but the blonde seemed determined to at least pick up all the broken ceramics and glass. Maybe that was for the better…as if the apartment wasn't enough of a peril as is.

As she settled into a sort of doze, she heard her phone rumble just once—a message? Was it from him—no, no it couldn't be—but the urge to just reach out and check, just one look couldn't hurt—

…But no, that would be betraying everything her friend had gone out of the way to do for her. And so she shakily withdrew her hand, pulled the covers over her head and willed herself to drift away.

_'You can't, you can't…you said you wouldn't call…'_

Even though ironically, the person she needed the most right now was him.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Adam's perspective now.**

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><p>Funny how at first, it was always the opposite; the British man making sure his friend didn't overindulge and make a fool out of himself, what with his piss-poor tolerance, but as time went by, that had quickly changed and so it shouldn't have come as any surprise that they were here now, sitting in the farthest corner of their usual dive bar, the Brit downing his sixth shot while Mahesh could only sigh and signal the bartender for a refill.<p>

"Um, Adam…you've had six shots in the past," he glanced at his watch, "hour and some spare change. Think you might wanna, oh I don't know, take it easy…?"

"Tch. T' hell with that…" He muttered under his breath, vision already starting to swirl but unfortunately for him, his mind hadn't quite fogged up yet. At least, not to the point he wanted—numb and unfocused, not sharp and burning with the constant splinters of that horrendous fight.

_'I hate you! I hate you I hate you I hate you! I hate that you make me feel this way, that somehow, I can't live without you and yet you don't seem to take any stock into what I need!'_

_Photos tore and dishes smashed; words that cut worse than a knife stabbed into each other, bleeding out until they were nothing more than a mess on the floor. Usually he let her rage until her anger gave out but for some reason this time, he was just as mad—just as frustrated, because what more could he say, how much longer could he apologize—_

_'For God's sake Sio, would you just calm th' fuck down!" She'd responded by hurling the vase his mother had given them at his head, but it crashed into the floor instead. 'Jesus fuckin' Christ!'_

_'Stop, just stop! I…I don't know if I can do this anymore. If even want to do this anymore.'_

_His heart, which had been beating with a furious fire in his chest, froze for a second before it suddenly started beating again but for the opposite reason._

_Was she really serious about breaking it off…a severe chill ran down his spine as the weight of that threat sunk in._

Oh yeah. He'd really done fucked up this time. The last thing he remembered thinking clearly was how if she wanted to call it off, then whatever—he couldn't care less. And then an hour later he'd shown up entirely unannounced at the Indian's doorstep, wherein his friend only had to take one look before letting him in without a word.

"Shit…I'm a fucking. Bloody. Moron." An unpleasant wave of nausea permeated his mouth, and for a second he wondered if maybe he'd had just a tad too much to drink.

"Yeah, no offense mate, but I'd have to agree on that…" Mahesh sipped his own drink, although he'd been careful to keep his count low. One of them had to still get them back to the flat tonight, and it sure as hell wasn't going to be this pseudo-albino who was well on his way to getting piss-drunk tonight. "Gotta say, Jess an' I would never do that to each other…"

"Fuck you, Mirza…" The whisky burned a little too much and he gave a cough, the bartender giving him a look as he signaled for another. Although Sio wasn't much of a drinker, except under certain occasions, she did seem to like this bar quite a bit. Perhaps it was the peculiar decor, or maybe just because this was their usual hangout—once again he caught himself glancing over his shoulder, because how many times in the past had she said she wasn't interested in going out for a drink with the guys, before just showing up randomly anyway?

"Uh, you wanna stop doing that maybe? You know she's not gonna show up anytime soon…also some of the other ladies seem to be giving you pity stares," the Indian whispered through clenched teeth, returning those looks with a false, too-bright smile while Adam remained entirely oblivious. "Though I gotta say, some of them don't seem to bad…"

How was it that this Indian playboy was still going steady with his bisexual, model girlfriend was beyond Adam's ability to reason at the moment. At first glance, the two seemed exactly like the opposite type to stick together—he flirted with just about everything on two legs, while she greeted everybody with a French kiss. And yet here they were, shouldering not only the burden that this friendship bore, but taking care of them to boot. Although Mahesh had not said a word about Sio, he knew for a fact that Jess was no doubt keeping an eye on her as well.

Which made him feel a little better, marginally. At least he wouldn't have to worry about her running off and doing something stupid—or worse, hurting herself; he gave a shudder and let the whisky burn slowly this time, as if a self-imposed punishment on his own crimes. To make her feel like that…god, what kind of man was he anyway?

"I know she'snot comin'…" He slurred, funny how there seemed to be two glasses though he was pretty sure the was only holding one. "Don't need t' tell me twice…fuckin' messed up…said she's not…comin' back…"

At this, his friend completely lost his composure and nearly spat out his own drink. "Wh-what?! What did you just say?"

"Didn't say nothin'; she's the one who said…"

Now there was tone of urgency in the other's voice. "Okay I know, but come on Adam, I just need you to focus here," he grabbed his shoulders in an attempt to straighten him, "what exactly did Sio say?"

"Uh." He furrowed his brows. A bunch of really mean, hurtful shit that was also very true. "…I don't think she wants t' marry me anymore…" A squeezing feeling in his chest as he recalled her tear-stained face, and his own white-hot fury…he fumbled through the pockets of his coat. "'Cause I found this."

A startled gasp. "Holy…isn't that…"

"Yeh; I dunno Mirza, yeh think she'd say yes 'f I asked again?"

"Well, I…okay you know what Adam, you know what I think?"

"Wassat?" Boy, did Mirza know that he actually had four eyes instead of two? Weeeiird. He wanted to reach out and poke them, but ended up slumping against his shoulder instead. "Fuck…I'm drunk, aren't I?"

A cautious pat on his shoulder as Mahesh attempted to close their tab with the bartender, who only shook his head silently with pity at the Brit's long-gone state. "Yes, yes you are quite drunk Adam. And now, I think we should go home."

"Noo…I'm not tha' drunk yet—" His legs didn't seem to be working very well, because the next thing he knew Mahesh was half-dragging, half-propping him out the door, all the while elbowing him in the ribs and whispering to him that he'd better pick himself up because he was not going to carry him back to the car.

"Right. I'm sure." A sarcastic retort as they finally made it back to the ice-blue Lotus. A bit more effort and coaxing (okay, a lot) was involved to actually get said man into the car, but at last both men were seated somewhat in place. "Remember: if you need to hurl, please let me know—do not, I repeat _do not_ just roll down the windows, or god forbid, get any in the car. Jess'll kill me…and then you…"

"Uh huh…" Oh yeah, even as drunk as he was, Adam didn't need to be told twice of the blonde's infamous temper—especially if it involved her very beloved, very expensive sports car with all-leather seats. Besides, he'd been drinking before, and yeah, he was drunker than he could ever remember, but that didn't mean he couldn't hold out until—

"—Dammit Adam, I thought I told you to—!" A sudden screech as they came to the stop in the middle of an alleyway, Mahesh barely fumbling the door open just in the nick of time as the first wave of gastric fluids made a bid for the exit. "Shit, that was close…"

Luckily, it being the dead of meant they didn't have to worry about on-coming traffic. But still it was a precarious trip back, what with the Indian having to keep an eye on both the road and his friend's intoxicated state to make sure no disaster befell the car. As it stood, it took them nearly twice as long as it should have, and when he finally managed to open the door and stumble through the entryway, the first thing Adam did was stagger to the nearest receptacle and let out another stomach-churning sound of retching.

Which happened to be the umbrella stand. Mahesh wasn't sure if he should consider himself lucky or not.

"Sorry…I'm sorry…oh god, I think 'm dying…" His vision was so blurry and he felt sicker than a dog. Hah, maybe that was what he was—not even a person, but an animal, unworthy of his friends and certainly not a wonderful woman like her…

"No, you're not dying…though I have to admit you sound like it," his friend shot back dryly, before handing him a glass of water. "Here, drink it—all of it. You're already dehydrated enough as is."

He stared at the glass for a good five seconds, as if trying to determine if it was poison or something, before taking it with a resigned sigh and downing it in one go. Ooh…while his head felt a little clearer than back at the pub, his body was still pretty much a wreck. "…I think I need t' use th' loo…"

"It's to the—ah hell, I'll just take you." Mahesh put one arm over his shoulders and guided the drunk down the hall, praying the whole time he wouldn't just suddenly vomit all over him. "Try to aim, if you think you can't then just go for the tub." He patted his back in a comforting manner, as if reminding the Brit that he wasn't all alone. "I'm going to get you some medicine, and uh…clean up the mess. Holler if you need me, okay?" Silence. "…Adam?"

"Yeh, I got it; dun worry, I ain't five, for fuck's sake…!" The Indian retreated just in time as his stomach seemed to heave for the umpteenth time, the bitterness of the alcohol mixing with the sour acidity only making him even more nauseated.

What a pathetic sight; here he was, a man who had been congratulated a mere month ago about finally getting engaged, supposedly to settle down with the 'love of his life', a shy, petite Japanese woman whom also happened to be a rabid closet-otaku of all things military (and could also be quite the seductress in bed). At least, that was how it was supposed to be, until he had to go off and be a grade-A arsehole that resulted in the very real possibility of his whole life so far quite literally falling apart in front of him. A dull ache as his stomach complained of being emptied so much, but there was nothing he could do other than rest his head weakly against the tub, the cool porcelain feeling pretty good against his flushed head.

As bad as things had been before in his life, both recent and long past, this current disaster probably topped all of them combined. Not just the physical after effects of drinking too much, but the sheer weight of that guilt that clung to his heart, making his chest feel heavier with every single breath. Sio Ogura. Had she been a blessing, or just a well-disguised mistake to begin with? It was true that at first, Adam had seen her as nothing more than an annoyance—always following their group around, stumbling over her words as often as her own feet or else babbling away in military geek-speak that nobody else could understand. Yet something prevented him from just shooing her away; that same something made him want to get to know her better, to stand next to her and protect her and demand that he be the only one to make her smile.

What happened to that Adam? What happened them…? A great wave of despair accompanied the next wave of vomit, causing him to nearly choke. As if he didn't feel disgusting enough as is.

"Hey, you still alive, mate?" The door slowly opened and Mahesh eased his way in, another glass of water in one hand and a small bottle in the other. "Jesus, you're still not done?" One emerald glared at him from that sullen face, visage even more pallid than normal. "Okay okay, it's fine, I was just making sure…nevermind. I suppose eight shots of whisky is about six shots too many." He gently nudged the other's shoulder. "Drink some more water. And then take this."

Shaking hands reached up for both objects, forcing himself to sit down on the toilet lid for stability, eyes squinting at the foreign text on the hangover cure. "…What th'…where'd yeh get this…"

"I-I, uh…oh you know, you'd be surprised at what you can find in Sainsbury's if you look hard enough…" Although he knew Mirza's intentions were for his own good, Adam could smell a lie from a mile away. HIs friend's unwillingness to look him directly in the eye and nervous jittering weren't exactly helping his case, either.

"Bullshit. There's a lotta places that carry _eki kyabe_…ain't none of them in England." In fact, it wasn't until he started going out with her did they get introduced to this 'miracle drug', so to speak. "She gave it t' yeh, didn't she?"

A wince from the other. "…Yeah. Sio-chan gave it to me a while back." As this awkward standoff continued, the Indian could tell he was about to face an uphill battle. "…It's just medicine, Adam, I'd think you'd like to feel better soon—"

"—No thanks; I'll be fine with just water…"

_'And here we go…'_ Why Mahesh was best friends with a stubborn-ass British man like Adam was beyond him. True, their friendship had been built on more than just exchanging quips over their latest exam scores or yelling at each other over video games; but at first glance, one would be hard-pressed to name the two as 'best mates'. He'd lost count of the number of times Adam had given him 'look of disapproval' at his…choices for romance, and yet somehow they'd stuck together all this time still. Being stubborn certainly helped on numerous occasions—certainly it'd helped bolster his courage to go after that Japanese transfer student that suddenly arrived during their second year—but like every coin, where there was a head there was a tail.

And apparently right now, anything even remotely related to said girl was strictly off-limits. Even something as mundane (and necessary) as hangover medicine. Gritting his teeth, Mahesh wondered for a second just how possible it would be to restrain his friend and just force the medicine down his throat. Probably not likely, even given his drunken state—not only was Adam taller, but he was considerably more built, and he packed one hell of a punch—he knew this from personal experience.

That, and he might just possibly choke on his own vomit and then die. Yeah, probably not a good idea. Perhaps it was good thing that if there was one thing he held an edge in, it would be mind games. He wasn't known as the man with a silken tongue (in more ways than one) without a reason, after all.

"…Sure, you could just continue puking your guts until you pass out, but don't you think you're being a little too…extreme?" There wasn't much of a reaction, save for another weak lurch into the bathtub. "Look, I know even your logical brain knows there's nothing to be gained by refusing—just because it's…Japanese, and she gave it to me, doesn't mean it's related to…that! Or anything else, for that matter! It's _medicine_. To make you _feel better._"

"…What if I don't want to feel better…" His voice was more subdued now, almost like a child whose temper tantrum that had just about reached its end.

Mahesh heaved a deep sigh and rubbed his head. At this rate, he was going to get a headache himself, dealing with this overgrown, emotional man-child. "…If this is some sort of perverse, self-imposed punishment for what you did—and don't give me that look, I know exactly how you work Adam, don't think I never noticed all those poorly-patched holes in our dorm when we roomed together," he shot the British man an angry a look as he could, "I _know_ you. And I don't care how many times I have to say this, but hurting yourself is _not helping anybody_. Least of all her."

His body gave an uncomfortable jolt as Mirza called him out, because he knew it was true. Sio herself had brought it up more than once, usually with her eyes full of tears as she gently cradled his hands that were once again mummified, begging him to stop punishing himself. How many times had she worried over him, and yet still he couldn't kick the habit…it was like a drug addiction, except he didn't need drugs.

"Adam. _Please_. Look, I…I know I'm not the best person to be telling you this. Hell, I don't really even know what to say, but…" Ignoring the mess, he sat down on the edge of the tub, taking the half-empty glass from his hand. "…Yeah, you did a real shitty thing. Yeah, you probably deserved at least half the things she yelled at you," there was a slight grunt at this, though whether it was a protest or agreement he couldn't tell, "but you know what? I don't think it's over. Not by a long shot."

He would've let out a laugh, had it not been for the fact that even the slightest movement seemed to trigger his gag reflex. "Hnn…an' why the hell should I believe you? You're not me, Jess isn't Sio; doesn't matter how long you've known us for."

"…You're right. We're all different people. But, call it a…feeling. Gut instinct, I suppose." Once again Mahesh put the bottle in front of his friend—whether or not he chose to drink it, well that wasn't his business anymore—"And maybe you don't know right now, either. But, I know you'd rather die than just admit defeat over something like this. Over someone like her."

"Who's being extreme now…" Though he would never admit it, Adam had to concede that hearing his friend's confidence in their relationship made him feel a little better. Even if logically speaking, the chances of it actually succeeding were lower than him giving up his habit of self-harm. "Just 'cause I punch walls doesn't mean I'm suicidal…"

"Well, I definitely hope not…" A wave of relief washed over the Indian as Adam seemed to finally give up, and down the contents of that little bottle in one swig. "See, that wasn't so bad…" His voice trailed off as the Brit let out a cough, and he prayed he wouldn't just empty the contents back up. "Here, water?"

"…Thanks." He took the glass, and along with it passed a tacit agreement between the two men.

_'Thank you.'_

_'Yeah, you're welcome.'_

_'You're a good friend.'_

_'I know, and so are you, even though you act like a moron sometimes.'_

_'I really appreciate this.'_

_'Don't worry about it. I know you'd do the same.'_

"Well then," Mahesh cleared his throat in an artificial manner, trying to clear the air of this slightly awkward bromance the situation was brewing, "I think you need to get some rest now. Sounds like you've got most of the alcohol out of your system…" His voice trailed off as Adam slumped against his chest, apparently too tired to drag himself to the sofa. "Or not…"

Oh well; at least it seemed like the vomiting had finally stopped, at least for now. As a precaution though, the Indian left a basin at the edge of the couch. Because you know, just in case.

"Ugh…man, I'm lonely." A single groan, before the silver-haired main pulled the covers up over his head.

"Well…like you said; this isn't something you can solve in a single night. Although, if you're really that lonely, I wouldn't mind keeping you company~" He edged just slightly under the covers, nudging his way towards the warm body that was already settled there—

"—Gah! Get off me, you homo! I'm not that drunk," He shoved Mirza off as the Indian laughed, pulling the blanket tighter around him. "Fuck off already; don't yeh need your beauty sleep or whatever?"

"Hmm, just making sure you're going to be all right. I swear, if I wake up to a mess in the middle of the night.."

"Yeh won't. I don't think there's anything left…" Don't think about it, just as long as he didn't think about vomiting or nausea or anything related…

…or a certain petite Japanese girl…

His chest gave an uncomfortable squeeze and he tried to push it down. _'Sio…I wonder, what you are doing right now?'_ Absentmindedly he scrolled through their last couple of texts, right before everything had exploded—oh. For some reason, one of them hadn't gotten sent? He stared with blurry eyes at the tiny screen.

**[You]:** 'kay then. Sleep well.

Sleep well…he wondered if she was sleeping even half as much as he'd been recently… "Ah—shit…!" The 'swoosh' that was the classic sound effect for sending a text, too late did Adam realize what his fingers had unconsciously done, sending out that artifact from the past.

Maybe it wouldn't matter anyway; she probably wasn't checking her phone at all these days. Yet he couldn't help but wonder, and wonder…


End file.
